“I don’t like tomatoes.” Try uttering that phrase in a group of food-friendly folks this time of year, and the looks you’ll get in response are sure to range from pity to outright disdain. Trust me, I know these looks first hand. That’s because I’m one of the apparent few who don’t like tomatoes.
Oh sure, I like the gorgeous colors, ranging from deep red to orange to bright yellow. I’m intrigued by the names of the heirloom varieties like Yellow Riesentraube or Egg Yolk. And I love to conjure up all sorts of uses for the different varieties. I just don’t like to eat them.
Every summer, well-intentioned friends try to convert me to the tomato-lovers’ cause. My friend, Kelly, turns out fried green tomatoes using Green Zebras and serves them alongside white tomato soup with fresh basil. Others ply me with a riff on Caprese salad, swapping bright orange Sungolds and burrata cheese for the more traditional beefsteak and mozzarella. I’ve had pizza sauce made with the Cream Sausage variety, which is yellow in color and somehow remains so even after cooking, and gazpacho too, with some adventurous cooks using a riot of heirlooms and freezing the soup just until slushy. Diners swoon with delight – just not me.
It’s not for lack of trying and I don’t expect anyone to understand, so forgive me when I waltz past the packed booths at area markets. It just leaves more for the rest of you.
— Photo by Greg Rannells
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2011.